Dim the Lights
by TheDoublemintTwins11
Summary: He turned to leave, glancing at the spot where the mystery man had disappeared. As he did, the bartender must have stepped up to the edge of the bar, because Luffy could nearly feel the man's breath on the back of his neck...“His name’s Zoro” ::ZoLu AU::
1. September 8th

**We do not own One Piece. Sue me…oh wait! You can't because I have a disclaimer. HA! -clears throat- we also don't own Dean Koontz's Moonlight Bay series, which is where we got the idea for this story. Enjoy :D**

**Dim the Lights**

September 8th

--

Luffy sighed, looking up at a red-headed girl, about his age, who was trying to get him to dance with her. It was more awkward and annoying to explain that the _real _reason why he didn't want to dance was that he just wasn't interested in women. Instead, he told her that he didn't know how to dance, and after some persuasion, she'd left him alone.

Luffy shifted on the red sofa that he was sitting on. He'd thought that it might be fun to come here tonight, but now he wasn't so sure. The room was a bit loud for his liking. He felt like he was the only person who wasn't here with someone else. Even though he was naturally outgoing, he still felt like he was imposing if he stopped to chat with anyone, even if they didn't seem to mind his presence.

He shifted again before deciding that he wasn't comfortable, and stood instead. His friends had convinced him to come with them to the Mikan and Pinwheel, a popular club in their town. Unfortunately, they were the owners of the club and therefore had no time to hang out with Luffy. It was a lot of work keeping everything in order, but they loved their jobs, so Luffy didn't protest or try and get in their ways. Now he was left, feeling rather alone in this loud, crowded place.

He stood next to the sofa for a few seconds, feeling like everyone was staring at him. That was ridiculous, the world didn't revolve around him, but it made him uncomfortable either way.

'_Maybe I should just go'_ he thought as he headed towards what he hoped was the exit, allowing his shoes to drag along the dimly lit marble floor. There were no lights in the club save for a few dancing colored spotlights and black lights over the bars. After forcing his way through the crowd Luffy stopped, realizing that he'd gone the wrong way to get out. Before he could leave, someone grabbed his arm.

"Luffy! Hey man, I didn't know you were here" Luffy turned and nearly poked his eye out on his companion's nose.

"Usopp!" He beamed. The two looked happy to see eachother, and Luffy had a sneaking suspicion that Usopp had felt as awkward as Luffy had felt moments ago. Not that he would ever admit it. Luffy continued to grin as the long-nose led him over to the bar.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink!" He insisted, and sat him down. Luffy ordered a Coke, much to Usopp's disdain.

"I can't drink yet. I'm underage." Luffy said. Usopp waved a dismissive hand.

"Fine, but a Coke? You could at least order something manly. Like Red Bull." Usopp said, earning a grimace.

"That stuff is disgusting and we all know it." Usopp nodded as if Luffy had spoken great words of wisdom.

"Yes. This is true. But it's manly none the less!" He threw an arm into the air for emphasis. Still a little miffed that Luffy had ordered something so wimpy, he turned back to the dance floor. The bartender handed them their drinks, and Usopp returned the trade with a few dollar bills.

"This place looks great, doesn't it?" He motioned to the décor, "I'm surprised that Nami and Sanji pulled it together so nicely." Luffy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

The club was separated into two parts. There was the part that they were in, where a live band played every night, and then there was the restaurant that was much better lit and much quieter.

Usopp admired the room as if he'd designed it himself. Luffy sipped his soda, and nearly spat it everywhere when Usopp clapped him on the back.

"Look, there's Kaya! I'm gonna go talk to her… be right back." Luffy frowned and almost pulled Usopp back when he stood, but he restrained himself. He pouted and blew bubbles in his glass.

"You sure you haven't had enough?" the barkeeper asked. Luffy looked up and was about to ask him why he would say something like that when the man sitting next to him laughed.

"Are you kidding? You know damn well I haven't." The barkeep chuckled and handed him a drink that he'd already prepared. He then turned to serve another customer. Luffy raised an eyebrow at the man. He was a good looking guy, for sure, but he was also rather strange-looking.

He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the collar turned up, thin gloves, and long pants. What's more, he had a pair of dark sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night time, and they were inside. And to top it all off, his head was covered with a mop of messy green hair. He certainly wasn't the kind of guy you'd want to meet in a dark alleyway.

The guy must have sensed that he was being stared at, because he turned to Luffy.

"What?" he inquired with a crooked smile. Luffy shook his head rapidly.

"Nothing. Nothing."

"Where'd your friend go?" he asked, trying to start innocent conversation.

"Off to talk to his girlfriend." Luffy said, and he blew more bubbles in his drink. The man nodded with understanding and drained half his glass. Luffy glanced up from his drink to look at the stranger before blowing more bubbles.

"You don't look like you're enjoying yourself. Why are you even here?" Luffy glanced at him again.

"I was invited." Luffy said.

"Well that's a stupid reason to come. Whoever invited you isn't even here." Luffy shrugged and glanced at him again.

"What…" The man raised his hand to his hair, "Do you keep looking at?"

Luffy said quickly. "I just like your hair, that's all." The other man frowned, and for a moment Luffy thought he'd offended him, but the green-haired man suddenly started laughing.

"Are you coming on to me?" He laughed. Luffy spit his drink everywhere, startled by the outburst, while his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. This only made the other man laugh harder, and Luffy wasn't sure if it was the alcohol talking or not, but the green-haired man stood, ruffling his hair.

"S'fine. You're not bad yourself." And he turned and walked off, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Luffy continued staring at the place where he'd disappeared until he heard someone laughing behind him. He turned to see that it was the bartender, and his blush deepened.

"What's so funny!" Luffy snapped, rather annoyed. The man behind the counter raised his hands defensively and turned away. Luffy frowned and stood, Usopp forgotten. He turned to leave, glancing at the spot where the mystery man had disappeared and as he did the bartender must have walked up to the edge of the bar, because Luffy could nearly feel his breath on the back of his neck.

"His name's Zoro"

**And that's the first chapter. Really I expected it to be longer, but whatever. Review if you liked it. You don't even have to like the story. The summary, the title, whatever. Just review. :D**


	2. September 9th

**Here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and a special thanks to Loreto W for the really long review :D I had trouble actually bringing myself to write because I'm so lazy XD The reviews were a big help though!**

**Dim the Lights**

September 9th

--

Luffy sighed, kicking a rock out of his path. He crossed the deserted street without looking and made a right turn. As he recalled last night's events, the frown on his face deepened.

"_His name's Zoro… you should go see him. He lives in the big white house at the end of Swan Lane." Luffy frowned, and whipped around to face the barkeep. _

"_Why the hell would I want to do that?" He insisted. The bartender put on an innocent face and shrugged._

"_You tell me."_

Luffy kicked another rock and turned down Swan Lane. Of course he was going to go visit this guy. He wanted to know if it had really been the alcohol talking for him, or if Zoro had actually meant what he'd said. And if he had meant it, well….Luffy wasn't quite sure about that part yet. He wasn't the kind of guy to plan further than a few steps ahead.

He glanced down to the end of the cul-de-sac. Sure enough, there sat a large white house. It was a lot bigger than Luffy had imagined, and was partly hidden by a large weeping willow on the unkempt front lawn.

Luffy was starting to get nervous. The deserted street made him feel like he wasn't supposed to be here. He paused and glanced left and right at the other houses. There was no one on the street, nor was there anyone looking out their windows. Quickly, he stepped off the curb and made his way up the sidewalk and onto the decrepit, old porch. No one screamed at him out their windows, nor did anyone come charging out their front door screaming obscenities. Either way, he felt unwelcome. Standing out on the solid door was a sign that read: _Visiting Hours: 10:30PM-4:30AM._

Luffy sighed and started back up the sidewalk. Just his luck! He must not be home… Still, he found it odd that there were set visiting hours. Unless he ran a home-business… but even that didn't make sense, because the hours were so late. Maybe he ran some seedy business?

Luffy had just decided to head home and try again later that night when he was cut off by four boys nearly half his size. They were all looking up at him as if he were either a hero, or a menace. He furrowed his eyebrows in frustration and tried to walk around them, but they shuffled in his way once again.

"What?" He demanded. The four boys glanced amongst themselves before three of them offered up a fourth with pink hair. After glaring at the three as though he'd been betrayed, the boy turned to Luffy with determination on his face.

"What were you doing over there?" He pointed to Zoro's house. Luffy's hesitated, and he scrambled to come up with an explanation. He should have known that he wasn't allowed! Damn that barkeeper!

"I was just dropping by for a visit…" A boy with purple hair shook his head.

"You're wasting your time. He doesn't leave his house during the day." He waved his hands in the air, as if it would emphasize his point.

"He's a demon!" added one with glasses. The purple haired boy looked awestruck.

"Where did you hear that?" he demanded skeptically. Luffy scooted to the left, but the four followed, still enthralled in their conversation.

"Rika said so! And she buys his groceries for him, so it _has_ to be true!" The boy with hair shaped like a bell-pepper jabbed a finger in the purple-haired boy's face.

"She was being sarcastic, idiot! Everyone knows that he's a spirit!" The one with pink hair pinched the bridged of his nose and motioned for Luffy to come close enough for him to whisper in his ear.

"He's actually a vampire. These guys" he stuck a thumb in their general direction, "just have active imaginations."

"Ya don't say?" Luffy said dryly, but he was ignored.

"He only comes out during the night and he never leaves town. You wanna know why?" Luffy shrugged, "It's because the only way out of town is to cross the bridge, and everyone knows vampires can't cross running water." One of the boys protested, followed by the other two, and soon the four were locked in a heated battle. Luffy raised an eyebrow and succeeded in slipping unnoticed around the quarreling boys. He quickly made his way out of the cul-de-sac. Rather than heading home, he started toward the Mikan and Pinwheel.

He would ask Nami and Sanji about him. If Zoro was enough of a regular for the bartender to know him personally, then they must know who—or what— he was.

--

Although the restaurant was crowded, the club was almost empty, aside from a few men at the bar who obviously had no problem drinking in the middle of the day. They were laughing drunkenly and toasting one another every chance they had. The only staff in the room was a bartender that Luffy didn't recognize; he assumed Sanji would be helping in the kitchen.

Luffy cut across the dance floor and sat down at the bar, a good few seats away from the celebrating men. He ordered himself a drink and then leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. Did he believe those kids? His initial answer was no, but the more he thought about it, the more he wasn't sure. He did _look _like a vampire with his collar turned up, and now that he thought about it, he was kinda pale… but no. He didn't _act_ like a vampire. Isn't a vampire supposed to be mean and scary?

"Luffy? What're you doing here?"

"Huh?" Luffy sat forward in his seat to see that Nami was behind the bar. Usopp had taken a seat across from him. "Oh, I actually came to ask you something… You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Zoro?"

"Yeah, we know him…" she glanced at the door to the kitchen, "Sanji doesn't like him much, but we went to school together…sorta."

"Sorta? Was he homeschooled?" Nami nodded.

"Something like that... Why'd you wanna know?" Luffy shrugged.

"Well I ran into him last night, and we talked for a while and…" his face reddened slightly, and Luffy was happy that Nami hadn't bothered to turn the overhead lights on. "Well long story short I went to his house today and ran into some kids who were saying he was a demon."

"A demon, huh? Kids today have no imagination." she mumbled.

Usopp jumped up from where he'd been listening quietly.

"Well damn, everyone knows he's a vampire!" Luffy's face brightened.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, jumping up as well. Nami scowled and grabbed Luffy's sleeve while also kicking Usopp in the shin with her heel.

"He's _not_ a vampire…or a demon or whatever the hell they're calling him. Those kids are just letting their imaginations get the best of them." She glanced accusingly at Usopp, who shrugged.

"Well then why doesn't he come outside?" Luffy asked, as though he were trying to defend his point. Usopp nodded enthusiastically.

"He was born with XP."

"What? Never heard of it." Usopp chuckled at the confused look on Luffy's face.

"Xeroderma Pigmentosum… just call it XP." She frowned.

"Why does that keep him from going out during the day? Is he ugly? Maybe he was wearing a mask last night!"

Nami squinted at Luffy. "Do you listen to yourself when you talk?" after receiving a blank stare she sighed.

"Usually when person is in the sun, their skin cells will be constantly repairing damage from the UV rays. XP makes it so that you skin will heal way slower…or not at all in some cases."

"Well then why doesn't he leave town?" Luffy asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Ask him yourself."

"Why are you so curious anyway, Luffy?" Usopp asked with a sly grin.

"Yeah." Nami said with a similar look on her face. "Why's that?" She giggled.

"It's nothing. I was just curious, really!" Nami dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"Sure Luffy, we know. No need to get all uptight about it." With that she walked from behind the bar. Usopp clapped his hand on the counter and followed her with a laugh.

**Sadly, this chapter wasn't much longer than the last V.V the XP belongs to Dean Koontz. We just borrowed it and tweaked it to fit our story :D Please review!**


	3. September 13th

**-Insert snappy author's note here- :D (And thanks for all the reviews!)**

**Dim the Lights**

September 13th

It had been four days since Luffy had gone, albeit unsuccessfully, to meet Zoro. Since then he'd been so busy with school work that he hadn't had time to go over to try and visit him again. Even if he'd had the time to, he wasn't so sure if he'd _want_ to. After all, he couldn't help but feel that he'd be intruding if he showed up uninvited.

Luffy had _made _time to come to the Mikan and Pinwheel every night this week, however, regardless of how much schoolwork he had, to try and meet up with Zoro.

'_If I don't run into him tonight, I'll go over to his house tomorrow.' _Luffy thought to himself, just as he had every other night for the past four days. He was sitting on one of the red barstools in the back of the club, resting his head on his palm. He had been listening to one of Usopp's tales, but he couldn't seem to keep focused, so he finally let his mind wander. He snapped out of his trance when Usopp casually pushed his elbow off the edge of the bar, and his face hit the counter.

"Ha!" Usopp said triumphantly, "You _weren't _listening!" Luffy sat up, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek.

"Heh, sorry Usopp."

"No problem. What's on your mind?"

"Schoolwork," Luffy lied. They met eyes.

"Yeah. You suck at lying." Luffy waited for Usopp to pry, but he didn't. "I'm going to go find myself an audience." Usopp laughed and got up from the bar. He crossed the room and sat down at one of the sofas, where a group of six eyed him curiously. Luffy sat back casually so that he was teetering over the edge of his stool. He noted how strange the band looks upside-down. A group of three stopped to laugh at his 'drunken' antics (although he hadn't had a drop to drink). He leaned to the side so he could look around them.

"How much have you had?" Luffy started, lost his balanced, and slipped off the stool. He looked up to see Zoro, who was laughing. "Enough." Zoro replied to his own question. Luffy grinned at him from the floor.

"Actually, I haven't had any." Luffy said.

"S'that so?" Zoro asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Well then damn! Set us up." He told the bartender who Luffy had discovered worked every night on this shift.

"I'm underage." Luffy said but Zoro ignored him.

"So… are you just gonna lay there all night or you gonna get up here and join me?" Luffy chuckled.

"That's probably a good idea." He said. He dusted off his jeans and climbed back onto the barstool. The bartender handed him a drink, which he slid off to the side. His brother had made it clear that if he got into any trouble…well let's just say it wouldn't be pretty... or humane. And of course, there were plenty of people who wouldn't think twice about ratting him out. Zoro drained it.

"You know, I came by your house the other day." Luffy said. Zoro quirked an eyebrow and turned to the bartender. He shrugged.

"You said he was cute." He said innocently.

"No I didn't."

"Well not in so many words." The bartender pointed out, "But you still said it." He handed Zoro a new drink, who just rolled his eyes and turned back to Luffy.

"If you dropped by why didn't you come inside?" He asked.

"It was too early." Luffy replied. Zoro shrugged.

"You could have come in anyway."

"But I thought you couldn't go in the sun." Luffy objected. Zoro eyed the back of the bartender's head.

"Did you tell him my shoe size too?" The bartender laughed over his shoulder as he tended to another customer. He seemed to ignore the two as he took his good sweet time doing other things. Finally he turned around and tossed a rag in Zoro's face for a reason that Luffy couldn't quite grasp. Either way, he looked rather amused.

"I didn't tell him that." he paused. "Probably should have though…"

"Yeah, Nami told me." Luffy verified. Zoro nodded knowingly with a smirk on his face.

"Ah. How much did she charge ya?".

"Charge?…" Luffy mumbled, "No, it was free." Zoro looked surprised.

"Free? She must like you." Zoro said. He set his now empty glass on the counter and stood. "I think I'm gonna head back. Anymore of these and I wouldn't be able to find my way home." The bartender scoffed. Zoro ignored him and began to leave.

"Hey, Zoro! Wait!" Luffy called. "Do you think I could come over some time?" Zoro looked surprised.

"Sure... Come over any time you like. Just… ring the doorbell before you come inside." Luffy nodded enthusiastically. Zoro gave him a half-wave and left.

"So…" The bartender leaned over the counter, "What happed to 'Why the hell would I want to do that.'" Luffy went red in the face.

"Ah, shove it." Luffy said. He grabbed the drink Zoro had bought him. He took a swallow, decided he didn't like it, and shoved it off to the side again. The bartender laughed.

"All right, fine. Fine." He paused. "So, when's the wedding?"

"Aha…ha…ha. You're absolutely hilarious. I'm gonna go now." Luffy said. The bartender gave him the thumbs up, which he ignored. He turned to look for Usopp, who was currently standing with his foot on a coffee table, striking a pose for a very impressed audience. Luffy chuckled to himself and hurried outside. He caught up with Zoro just as he was about to leave the parking lot.

"Are you walking?" Luffy asked. He nodded.

"Well if you want I can give you a ride…" Zoro grinned.

"Sure, thanks." As he followed Luffy to his car, Zoro fished around in his pocket and withdrew a pair of sunglasses. He put them on and pulled his hood up, before climbing in the backseat.

"You don't wanna sit upfront?" Luffy asked, looking at him in the rear-view mirror.

"Can't." He replied before putting on his seatbelt and sliding lower in the seat. Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Suit yourself." He turned on the engine, and for a moment the overhead lights came on. Zoro flinched and slipped his hands into his sleeves. Luffy quickly turned them off and turned around in his seat.

"What's wrong?" Zoro frowned.

"I thought Nami told you. I can't go in the light."

"Well yeah…but what's a little light bulb gonna do?" He faced forward again and pulled out of the parking spot.

"It adds up" Zoro said. "A little light bulb like that," he pointed at the ceiling, "can kill a guy."

"Oh." Luffy said apologetically.

"S'no big deal. You get used to it." Zoro said. He paused, staring intently out the window. "You missed the turn."

**Ha! Finished. :D review please. I feed off them like a parasite…or not. . ok definitely not. But I do get inspiration from them when I'm having writers block… So… I hope you liked it. **


	4. September 14th

**We've had a few people ask about this, so I'll clear it up now. The reason there are dates at the start of every chapter is in case we decide that we want to do a little time skip at some point in the story (n.n) So enjoy the chapter!**

**Dim the Lights**

September 14th

The deck creaked as Luffy climbed the stairs, as if it were appalled that anyone but its owner had tread on its boards more than once. It was just now getting dark, but the first star had yet to reveal itself. He walked up to the door and, after a moments' hesitation, located the doorbell and rang it.

"Pssssst." Luffy furrowed his brow but didn't look to the collection of boys who were standing at the edge of Zoro's lawn—too scared to come closer but not too scared to bug the crap out of Luffy. They'd been following him ever since he'd entered the cul-de-sac. The teen ignored the boys' attempts to grab his attention without being too loud, lest they wake the 'demon' inside. Luffy frowned and rang the bell again.

"Maybe the bell is broken…" He mumbled. He glanced at the boys just in time to be hit in the forehead with a pebble. He rolled his eyes as they eagerly coaxed him over to where they were safely standing. He tried the knob and was met with no resistance. As he disappeared inside the boys began hysterically warning him to not go inside, while also commenting on his bravery and subtly egging him on.

Luffy stepped into the almost completely dark room and closed the door. He kicked off his shoes and shoved them to the side with one foot before proceeding further across the threshold. It came to mind that he may want to announce his presence, but the house was so quiet that he felt he may be disturbing something in doing so. At first, he tried to convince himself that Zoro wasn't home, but he quickly realized the error in that logic, and shoved it aside. He walked straight ahead and peered up the stairs into what seemed like complete darkness.

He bypassed the stairs and crept into the next room, still under the impression that there was a reason the house was so quiet. He walked into the den, and was met with another empty room. It looked rather normal, and was only slightly better lit than the entryway, and only because the lights were fixed to a rheostat set as low as it would go without turning the lights off completely.

"Zoro." He whispered, only slightly aware of how creepy it was for a guy to walk right into someone's house uninvited. He crossed the room to open another door, only to find an empty bathroom. The teen softly closed the door and turned back the way he came intent on going back to the entryway and exploring the other side of the house.

Luffy heard a low growl to his left, and when he looked he saw something crouching on the sofa. Luffy cried out and moved to get away from the creature. He ran into an ottoman and tripped. The lab leapt off the sofa where it had been resting and padded across the carpet. Its hackles were raised, but it had stopped growling and was now watching Luffy silently. Luffy pushed himself up from the floor to look at the dog. Despite its menacing demeanor, the dog looked fairly harmless. Actually, it looked downright silly with its blue nose and pink top hat. The dog seemed to be studying Luffy, just as Luffy had studied him. After a moment it began to bark.

"Ah! Nice doggie. Be quiet, I was just…" There was a thumping of footsteps from upstairs. The dog scrambled over to the staircase, where he could protect his master, and began to growl again. Zoro walked into the room, bare chested and shirt in hand, looking like he was ready to chew the dog out for making a racket. When he saw Luffy he stopped short.

"Holy shit, you actually came." The dog continued to growl, but Zoro quickly silenced it.

"What'd you mean?" Luffy frowned, "I said I'd be coming over." Zoro laughed, nodding while he did so.

"Yeah, but you'd be surprised what people will say when they're drunk and half dead to the world."

"I wasn't drunk." He protested. "I told you, I'm underage."

"Right, right." He agreed, although Luffy could tell from his tone that he was just 'playing along'.

"This is Chopper." He added. "We don't have a lot of guests, so he's not too friendly. Don't worry though, his bark is worse than his bite, I promise… not that that's very comforting…" He shrugged. Luffy hummed and got to his feet. It was only after Zoro put his shirt on that Luffy realized that he'd been staring. Zoro hadn't noticed, or if he had, he didn't make anything of it.

"You can make yourself at home…I guess." Zoro started, "I just woke up a few minutes ago, so I'm gonna finish getting ready.

"Ready for what—" Zoro headed upstairs without answering. Luffy frowned at his rudeness and looked around for Chopper. After deciding that the dog had followed his master upstairs Luffy walked back to the doorway and past the stairs. He opened the door at the end of the hall half expecting another vicious animal to attack him. Instead, he walked into a dining room too large for just one person. For someone who didn't have many guests you would think that a huge house would get depressing.

He walked past the table and pushed through a pair of double doors. Luffy stepped into the room, but it was too dark to see what was inside. He groped around on the wall for a light switch and flicked it on to find himself in a kitchen.

The room wasn't anything special. It had general appliances, like a stove, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher that looked as though it had never been used, because there was a mountain of dishes stacked in the sink. In the center of the room was an island with a towel, several cases of beer, and a cooler. Luffy crossed the room and pulled open the blinds to take advantage of the streetlights, and then turned the overhead lights off. He turned to the island and just as he did so the door opened and Zoro walked in, preceded by his furry companion. He was dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks.

"You can use these. They're too small for me so they might fit you." Zoro handed Luffy a pair of trunks and a towel. Luffy frowned.

"Are we going to the beach?"

"Yup." Zoro grabbed the cooler and slung the strap over his shoulder and headed for the door.

"At night?" Luffy yelled after him, and ran around the counter to face him. Zoro looked at Luffy like he'd just asked the stupidest question in the world.

"No, actually I was going to wait until morning. Wanted to work on my tan." He smirked but stopped at the door. It took Luffy a moment to realize that he was being waited on and quickly hurried into the next room to change. He threw his clothes onto a chair and walked into the kitchen to discover he'd been ditched. He hurried to the backdoor in time to see Chopper disappear down a dirt trail in Zoro's backyard.

Luffy sighed and ran down the path Chopper had disappeared into. He turned around a tree and nearly ran headlong into Zoro who was looking rather amused.

"'bout time." He hummed. Luffy scoffed, but said nothing. The two stood there for a few seconds, but before Luffy could ask why he was just standing around, Chopper emerged from the bushes and Zoro continued down the path.

The three followed the path for some time, but it wasn't long before Zoro turned in the opposite direction of the trail and started making his own path. Chopper bolted ahead—obviously aware of where they were going—and Zoro did nothing to stop him. It didn't take long for the dog to come bounding back the way he'd come. He did this a few more times, much to Luffy's amusement, before the dog got tired and decided it was time to rest.

Zoro passed him without stopping. Luffy glanced back a few times, noticing that the peculiar dog wasn't following, but Zoro didn't seem worried, so he didn't mention it. Sure enough, Chopper ran past the two moments after he went out of view. He didn't re-emerge from the bushes, and after fighting through a few dead branches, the two arrived at the beach as well.

It was deserted, no surprise, although Zoro later told him that there were plenty of people that come to the beach at night, especially surfers trying to catch a big wave.

"Wanna swim?" Zoro asked. He dropped the cooler on the sand and laid his towel next to it. Luffy did the same.

"Isn't the water cold at night?" Luffy asked.

"Yup." Zoro said as he pulled his shirt off. Luffy shivered in the autumn air and grinned.

"Nah, I'll pass. I don't like swimming anyway." Luffy said. Zoro shrugged and ran off the dive off the dock. Luffy watched him for a while, wondering why anyone would want to swim in such cold weather. His attention drifted towards Chopper, who was running back and forth on the shoreline, as though he was avoiding the waves breaking on the shore.

A particularly large wave washed over the dog's paws, and he yelped and shot off up the beach. Luffy laughed at the dog, who barked and sat down on Zoro's towel. Luffy couldn't help but think he was pouting.

"What? You afraid of water or something?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"He's just weird like that." Zoro replied as he walked up the beach. He shooed Chopper off his towel. The dog chuffed as though offended and went to sit on Luffy's towel.

"That was a short swim." Luffy said.

"The waters really cold tonight." Zoro replied. He dried himself off, and then laid his towel down to sit on. "You want a beer?" He asked.

"I already told you I'm under age." Luffy said. "Several times!" Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but do you _want_ a beer?" He asked with a grin. Luffy raised his eyebrow. Zoro raised his hands defensively.

"Just an innocent question." He said. Zoro pulled three beers from the cooler. He set one down next to himself, one next to Luffy, and opened the third, poured it into a bowl, and gave it to Chopper.

"You're giving your dog beer?" Luffy asked.

"Well it'd be unfair otherwise." Zoro said. Chopped barked happily.

"You suuuuuure you don't want one?"

"Isn't it illegal to drink on the beach?" Asked Luffy. Zoro shrugged.

"Well sure, but most cops will just sweep the parking lot for cars, look for any lights on the beach, then leave. Besides, it's a private beach."

"Wait, you own this beach? But I thought you said people come here all the time."

"Well, it's not my beach," Zoro said.

"Who's beach is it?" Luffy asked.

"My old man's." Zoro replied, "Anyway, I don't really care who comes onto the beach as long as they don't leave their junk lying around." He sighed and leaned back to look at the nearly full moon. After sitting in silence for what seemed like forever Zoro rolled onto his side to face Luffy.

"Well if you're not going to swim, then I guess we should head back now." He rolled off his towel and bunched it up before shoving it into the cooler, which he slung over his shoulder. Zoro started in the direction that Luffy assumed was back to his house, while said teen scrambled to gather his towel. He turned to Chopper, who was watching him with interest.

"Is it just me, or did he get off the topic of his dad really quickly?" the dog chuffed and wagged his tail eagerly. "…Yeah…I didn't think so either…"

**Ha, I win. Bout time I finished this, too! Sorry about the late-ish chapter (because it really isn't all that late...) This one's a bit longer than the rest though, so I guess it's ok :D Please review. **


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